Pope Pius XII’s funeral in October 1958 was a macabre event due to a botched experimental embalming that caused his body to rapidly decompose, swell, emit a foul odor, and eventually rupture during the procession.
The Pope’s personal physician, Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, an ophthalmologist with no forensic experience, decided to use an experimental preservation technique that involved soaking the body in aromatic oils and wrapping it in cellophane, rather than the standard practice of removing internal organs. Pius XII had requested that his organs not be removed, in a departure from the usual procedure at the time.
The combination of the warm October weather, the lack of refrigeration, and the flawed method accelerated anaerobic decomposition. Within hours, the body began to bloat and turn a greenish-black color, emitting such an intense stench that members of the Swiss Guard fainted and had to be rotated every 15 minutes during the public viewing.
The body continued to bloat, and reports indicate his nose and fingers detached. A wax mask was eventually used to cover his face. During the funeral procession from Castel Gandolfo to Rome, built-up internal gases and heat reportedly caused his chest cavity to “explode” or “rupture” with a loud sound in front of shocked mourners and pallbearers.
The incident made global headlines and led to swift consequences. Galeazzi-Lisi was banned from practicing medicine by the Italian Medical Council, dismissed by the newly elected Pope John XXIII, and banned from Vatican City for life. In the wake of this disaster, the Vatican implemented strict new protocols for papal funerals to ensure that standard, professional embalming practices were followed in the future.
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